Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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Florida researcher looking to prove lemon shark chemical hypothesis Sharks gather yearly on Florida coast for reason yet to be found Stephen Deere South Florida Sun-Sentinel FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. —r- For a man who had spent a lifetime researching sharks, what Samuel Gruber saw diving four years ago off the Jupiter Inlet was nothing short of a religious experience. About 100 adult lemon sharks hovered over the ocean floor in about 90 feet of water. Throughout his 40-plus year career, Gruber had seen maybe 15 or 20 adult lemon sharks, distinguished by theif yellowish brown tint and dual dorsal fins. “In one day I saw more adults by a power of five than I have in my whole career,” said Gruber, 67, who has visited the site between December and March every year since. Nowhere else’ in the world does such a phenomenon exist, Gruber said. And Gruber, among the world’s leading authorities on sharks, has been trying to answer a simple question: What brings them here? Gruber’s initial theory is that female sharks are emitting chemical signals called pheromones that attract male sharks. But why they’ve chosen this particular spot to conduct their courtship remains a mystery. Does it have something to do with a combination of the currents, water temperature, and its salinity? This year, getting closer to those answers proved more difficult. Not nearly as many sharks showed up. The number of sharks fluctuates from year to year, Gruber said, and he’s confident that more sharks will return. “You have good years and you have bad years,” he said. Next winter, he hopes to start testing his theory. He plans on collecting water samples around some of the female sharks and testing the water chemistry or possibly extracting urine samples from the females. Juvenile lemon sharks are relatively easy to _HP1_ _ oluuj-. a u\~y in nurseries in bays or lagoons. They prefer the safety and plentiful food supplies at mangroves and in warm shallow waters, such as those at the Bimini Biological Field Station, about 50 miles east of Miami, which Gruber owns and rims. But once the sharks reach about three years old, they vanish. “We really don’t know anything about the adult phase,” said Tristan Guttridge, one of Gruber’s principal investigators. Guttridge, 23, of Leeds, England, is planning on writing his doctoral dissertation on the shark gathering. Because so many gather in such a small place, the sharks are particularly vulnerable. The aggregation -of lemon sharks near the inlet could prove attractive to commercial and recreational fishermen as well as divers. Gruber and others worry this unique occurrence could be exploited. “This is a natural phenomenon,” Guttridge said. “It’s something we should be taking care of, preserving rather than destroying.” In some years, the aggregation consists of as many as 50 female sharks that produce 600 to 700 babies per reproductive cycle. If the site gets heavily fished, it could decimate the lemon shark population all along Florida’s coast. “They are all jammed fine ^ t-nKaf said. “It makes them vulnerable as hell.” Out at sea on recent morning, Gruber wore a baseball cap, jeans and orange windbreaker. When the sun was out, a bandana covered his face and neck to protect against skin cancer. Swells rocked the 31-foot boat Friendship as Gruber sat in the back cutting up ballyhoo and tossing them into the water. He hoped to outfit at least one shark with a transmitter so he could track its whereabouts. But the sharks weren’t biting. To catch the sharks, freelance photographer Walt Stearns dives off the boat and spears a couple of barracuda, which are promptly cut up and used for bait or chum. FACIAL • COnTinilCD FROIA 9 is important to look at what you should avoid as much as what to look to include.” Beer’s tips for at-home masks: Avoid botanicals that may cause an allergic reaction, including flowers or essential oils. — Don’t apply a mask more than once a week. — Avoid homemade masks that include ingredients of questionable purity such as eggs and milk. They may cause skin allergies and contain bacteria. — If you have a history of cold sores, avoid masks that contain acids or masks that are very hot. They may trigger an outbreak. -- Expensive doesn’t always equal better. “Some of the products available in the mass drug stores come from companies that have invested millions of dollars in developing skin care products for the vast majority of people,” Beer says. music • comim fro fi)9 him too. “My father used to play old-school R&B. I used to hate it,” Hall said. “But as I grew up, I couldn’t stop listening to it.” His big break came in the 12 th grade when he was chosen star in a high school play, “If the Preacher Ain’t Right.” After the play, his career took off. He appeared on “Showtime at the Apollo” , and sang the Billy Paul hit “Me and Mrs. Jones.” He also began singing hooks for local rappers in Charleston and appeared in talent shows, where he met the person who told him he should record an album. Hall said his album would be “diverse, eclectic and universal. I give a wide range of my vocal skills. We have jazz, crunk, everything on this CD.” Hall wrote all the songs and said he gets ideas by watching others. “I live vicariously through others, so basically stuff I see through others, I write about. It’s new stuff every day that you can use,” he said. “That’s really why I visit the clubs, to see what the people are feeling, and I go back and write about it.” He said he’s still thinking of the perfect title for the CD. On top of promoting his music, Hall still finds time to be a successful student. “I just follow my schedule I I daily,” he said. He has a i personal assistant who helps to keep him on task. 1 Hall is also CEO of Urban Vision Productions, a small ' company that promotes i various local artists. Hall l took interest in this because 1 he felt like he had so much i help promoting himself, i that he wanted to help ] others get their names out i there also. “My personal philosophy ( is, if one person makes it, i we all make it,” he said. i Hall will be in an artist j showcase in July in Atlanta, c He said as far as he knows he will be the only artist s representing South Carolina. - Until then, Hall encourages ( people to visit his Web site, l vww.Lyvotte.com. “I love to hear feedback,” le said. After school, Hall said he vant to be “like a regular ecording artist.” He plans o tour and promote his lew CD and perhaps break nto some acting. He also vants to try his hand at ihotography and movie naking. “Maybe about 15 years lown the line I want to etire and start my own ecord label,” he said. “I ust stay full of inspiration, ledication and motivation, fhose are my secrets to uccess.” Comments on this story? E-mail amecockfeatures@gwm.sc.edu Solutions "~-r . - -1 1 800 ALEXANDER RD I 803.939.0444 I www.universitycommons.com IuniversiTyl COMMONS apaRTmenTS J -5Wj iL n. J v_ jl R s 11 r y o i Jin SOUTH(7\ROLINA. CAMPUS RECREATION i Summer 2006 Student Membership Fee Schedule * Strom Thurmond Wellness and Fitness Center Students enrolled in Maymester or Summer I are eligible to use the facility May 8-July 2. Students enrolled in Summer II are eligible to use the facility July 3-August 18. USC-Columbia students who are enrolled in the 2006 Spring semester and pre-enrolled in the 2006 Fall Semester, but are not taking summer classes, may purchase a summer membership per the following fee schedule. Maymester/Summer I Summer II Summer Member May 8-July 2, 2006 $44 July 3-Aug 18, 2006 $36 May 8-Aug 18, 2006 $80 Membership fees may be paid at the Strom Thurmond Wellness & Fitness Center’s Business Office located on the third floor during regular office hours. 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